(For Kofi Awoonor)

This life, my brother

is a battle-field of souls

malevolent, benevolent

endless strife

restless life

This life, my brother

is where you fight it hard

and still earn it bad

This life, my brother

is where what you have matters most

and how you have got it matters less

This life, my brother

is where sons of dog take over

the best of the broth

and sons of man feed on fat bones

This life, my brother

is where mother fowl nourishes herself

by feeding on the intestine of other fowls

This life, my brother

is where the frail fish swallow

the fat fish and retain still its slimness

This life, my brother

is where a prince becomes a serf in his kingdom

and a princess, a whore in her palace

This life, my brother

is where a son becomes a stranger

in his father’s house

and a daughter, a bastard

in her father’s sight

But this life, my brother

we too often forget

is what we touch momentarily

and leave eternally

Gabriel Bamgbose